In Every Living Thing
by snogfairy
Summary: Carefully, Lucy extended her hand to brush her fingertips along his cheek. The smooth marble was cold to the touch, and an irrational part of her felt disappointed. [Sculptor/Greek Myth AU]
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi hello, I finally return from a period of little productivity to give you this new 7 part shortfic!_**

 **It is based on the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, but… let's say reinterpreted as a modern tale. ;) Originally I intended for it to be a oneshot but…. well. You know me. Anyways, hope you enjoy! :D**  
 **(I'll hopefully update this fic every Sunday.)**

* * *

 _The best artist has that thought alone which is contained within the marble shell; the sculptor's hand can only break the spell to free the figures slumbering in the stone.  
-Michelangelo_

* * *

 _sun i._

The marble glistened in the light that fell upon it like ripples dancing across water, sparkling and hypnotizing. It brought motion to an otherwise static object, making the curves and bends of the frozen body appear almost alive. Had the statue moved an arm, perhaps, any viewer might have found it almost natural until reason would have reminded them that stone was not supposed to move.

But alas, the statue stood still, as all statues do.

Lucy sighed as she forced her gaze away from her creation, carefully placing the chisel beside a hammer, brushes and various other instruments that already lay neatly arranged on the table.

She could barely grasp that what she was looking at had been created by her own two hands.

It seemed laughable, and she would have taken it for a joke had she not been there every step of the way. It was hard to explain, but it was as if her hands had been guided along the entire process, as if the stone had spoken to her in a way it never had before.

Surely, this exceeded her skill. She was good; she was not _that_ good.

Though inexplicable as it was, it was the truth, right there in front of her. Set in stone.

Her perfect man.

A smile tugged at her lips, and Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes as the thought crossed her mind. At least this was one man who would not disappoint her expectations.

Taking a step towards him, she once again scrutinized his face, searching for any fault, any need for correction, any flaws in expression or anatomy.

She found none.

His unruly hair was fabricated in such a way that it seemed as if a gust of wind would be enough to tousle it gently. The curve of his full lips appeared almost soft, his strong nose was smooth and well-formed, his brows were furrowed as if in deep thought. The only thing he missed was life in his blank, pupil-less eyes, and yet… he managed to look almost longing, as he stood there confined on his socket.

Carefully, Lucy extended her hand to brush her fingertips along his cheek. The smooth marble was cold to the touch, and an irrational part of her felt disappointed.

Then her phone rang, and the spell was broken.

"Hi Levy! Oh, she did? A _what_? Seriously, that woman… I'm fine, really! But alright, alright. At six? Okay. Okay. See ya!"

Shaking her head, Lucy slid her phone back into her pocket. A 'break the heartbreak' evening, of all things. While Lucy was certain she was already over her jerk of an ex boyfriend, Levy and Cana were not so easily convinced. And as always, that called for wine, ice cream, and an unholy amount of shittalking.

And Lucy couldn't think of a better way to spend her evening.

Well… she guessed her new boyfriend had to wait. Not like he could go anywhere.

With a grin and an amiable slap on his hard shoulder, Lucy left her workshop behind to walk through the empty halls of her estate – in search of the perfect 'heartbreak can kiss my ass' outfit.

* * *

It was late when she returned home.

And Lucy – rather drunk, as was common courtesy after a night such as this – had planned to go straight to bed. So it was a little strange for her to turn right as she passed through the entrance hall, for her bedroom lay on the left side and not even in her drunken state of mind would she have forgotten that.

No, her decision had been spontaneous, made on a whim and a fleeting desire she didn't quite understand.

A half empty bottle of white wine swayed dangerously loose in her left hand as she strolled along the corridor to her workshop, a distorted tune on her lips. If she hadn't been over her ex before, oh boy she was now. Nothing like a break the heartbreak evening – she had to know, she'd lived through many.

Lucy giggled. So now it was time to pay her new flame a visit.

"Hi darling," she sing-songed as she stepped through the door, and was greeted by silence. For a second she felt odd, but then she snorted. The door fell closed behind her, the heavy, dull thump echoing through the large room.

"Oh don't be like that," she went on, "I know I'm home late but that's no reason to pull such a stony face!"

This sent her into another fit of giggles. When she calmed down she had walked close enough to tip the statue's nose, which she did with a pout.

"You are not the boss of me. You hear that? Ha! No one is!"

The silence that constituted all his answers continued.

Lucy sighed, leaning back to look at the handsome marble face upon handsome marble shoulders, handsome marble abs, handsome marble thighs and–

"Mmhh," Lucy mused with a chuckle, "You have made yourself a glorious man, Miss Heartfilia. _All_ the right proportions."

But oh!

Then and there, in the dead of night with only the moon as her witness, it occurred to her what he was lacking: a name.

"We can't have that," she muttered. "You need a name my love! A name as beautiful as you!"

Lucy faltered. Her true passion were the arts, and that included her guilty pleasure – writing. God forbid, she wasn't anything special, but it was a matter close to her heart, and she had promised her mother to not give up on it. And so Lucy knew the struggle that came with naming a beloved character.

You wanted to get the name just right. The name had to fit; it had to convey meaning; it had to be part of the character without overpowering it; it had to make sense. How did one pick such a name within seconds? How did one pick such a name at all?

But when the moment of enlightenment finally came, the world seemed whole and right again, and you knew without a doubt you had made the right choice.

That was the moment Lucy was searching for now, in her drunken stupor: the exhilaration of finding that right name.

Closing her eyes, Lucy swayed from left to right. A name.

There was a warm, fuzzy feeling inside her, and though it probably had more to do with the alcohol in her veins, Lucy preferred to accredit it to his company. His marble touch was cool and refreshing, a flash of clarity in the heat.

She wanted the name to be something warm, hot, but with that hint of energy and joy… like summer. Lucy pursed her lips. Summer.

She could work with that. In her impatient state she had no time for any elaborate name musings, so she did what many had done before her: she consulted a translator.

The first language she tried was Greek (what with honouring the old masters; she found it an ingenious stroke of genius) but the name didn't quite please her.

Several others followed: Spanish, German, Tamil, Chinese… and several others were rejected. Only her seventh try – Japanese – made her pause. Natsu.

"Natsu," she tried, squinting at his motionless face. "Na - tsu."

It was a good name, she decided. It felt right.

Very pleased with herself, Lucy brought the bottle of white wine to her lips and rewarded herself with a generous sip. She watched the contents swirl and splash against the glass. There was still so much left…

And she knew just how to put it to use.

"Hereby I inaugurate – no, _baptize_ you, my love, as… Natsu."

And with that, she emptied the contents of her bottle over his head. The white wine splashed against the white marble, pooling in crevices and sliding downwards across smooth stone. Lucy watched in fascination, the bottle still raised above his head, as single droplets trickled along his shoulders. There was something mesmerizing about the way the wine flowed and glistened, something oddly intimate about the whole moment.

Again this odd feeling overcame her… that she was not alone, that the stone appeared almost alive. Of course, it was only a trick of the moonlight, a play with light and shadow.

Or at least that was what Lucy thought, until the statue spluttered and sent a spray of white wine flying into her face.

Lucy considered this incident for a moment.

"Oh wow, I really should go to bed."

But as she continued to stare at the statue (in hopes her eyes might have betrayed her), it really did begin to move. Not just that – she couldn't quite find the right words; it was peculiar.

Transfixed, Lucy watched as the statue shook its head and sent droplets flying, slowly craning its neck and opening its mouth. And as he did so, life continued to spread downwards bit by bit: to his shoulders, arms, chest, hips, thighs, and finally even his toes. It was as if he peeled himself out of the stone, as if it was melting.

Hard, unbendable stone became soft, and as his chest rose to take a deep breath Lucy finally snapped out of her trance, gasping in time with him.

And then – his eyes.

Lucy almost screamed when she saw them. They were alive, human eyes, trapped there in the stone, staring at her with an intensity that sent her heart into a frenzy. A deep, all-encompassing shiver crawled along her spine and left her trembling.

And then the stone began to crumble. It wasn't quite the right word, but the only one she thought came close to what she was witnessing. It cracked and split and scaled off him like plaster, suddenly appearing thin and light as bits and pieces dropped to the ground.

And beneath… there was a man. A _real_ man, of flesh and blood.

Finely ground stone dust wafted along his feet, and Lucy watched, frozen in shock, as he lifted a leg and took his first step.

"S-stop!" she cried out, hoisting her bottle like a weapon, and to her surprise he actually did.

His hair was drenched in wine, clinging to his forehead, but what startled Lucy most about it – about everything about him – was that it was in colour. An odd one too, a faded pink that contrasted wonderfully with his dark, tan skin.

If she had been able to paint the marble, Lucy thought, she would have attempted to do it just like this. Her perfect statue had become a perfect man, and though Lucy was sure this was a fever dream, she could not even bring herself to lament the loss of expensive marble and the hours of slaving away at his features.

The strong chin, the slanted eyes, the toned crevices of his body…

Suddenly, Lucy found herself smirking cheekily.

If this was a dream… it was a good one.


	2. Chapter 2

Aaand here's part 2! I hope you'll enjoy this as much as the first :3 Thanks so much for the nice tags and reviews over on ! More good news: I have the next part finished so it'll be up next week on Sunday. ^-^

* * *

 _ _"In every living thing there is the desire for love." ~ D. H. Lawrence__

* * *

 _sun ii_

Lucy was rather certain that she was not, in fact, dreaming, but was that not what every dreamer was so very sure of until they awoke?

Nobody could blame her at all if she were to be mistaken.

"Is this real?" she breathed. It was a question directed towards herself, which made it all the more mind-numbing when it was answered for her.

"What do you think?" The statue turned man shook some more dust from its pale pink hair as it brushed a hand through the strands. "Do I look like stone to you?"

At this, he stretched and flashed her a suggestive smirk that made all her blood shoot straight into her cheeks.

"I...uh…" she stammered, clasping a hand in front of her eyes and peeking at his face from between her fingers. In her frantic search to find something, _anything_ , to do, she set the bottle to her lips only to find that it was, of course, empty. Licking her wet lips, she slowly set the bottle onto the table a few steps away. Then, after a moment of silence, she spun around.

"Who are you? What is going on? Is this some kind of joke?" she asked, her voice sharp and her mind a little more sober.

"Who am I?" The man sounded genuinely surprised. "You know exactly who I am. You made me! It was you who gave me my name. You who called me Natsu."

"N-Natsu? But…" Nobody had known about his name. Hell, she'd just come up with it right now!

"Really, do you suffer from memory loss or something?"

"Excuse me?!"

He sniffed. "You're drunk too."

At this point, mortified barely described Lucy anymore. In her drunken state of mind she thought there could be no worse attack on a person than the one this insolent guy was leading on her this very instant. Her lips began wobbling dangerously, and when her eyes filled with tears Natsu finally faltered.

"Lucy… woah… don't-"

"Why do you even know my name?!" she suddenly yelled, her fists balling at her sides. "And why are you so mean?! I wish you never would've turned alive if this is how you're gonna behave!"

When she paused to heave for some air, Natsu had shrunk at least two sizes. A hurt expression sat on his face.

"You… really don't know what's going on?" he finally asked.

"No."

"Oh. Ok. I see. Alright."

"Aren't you… gonna tell me?"

Natsu scratched his head. "Well. The thing is…"

"You don't know either, do you?"

"...no."

"Great."

They stood in silence until Lucy fought her way out of her jacket and tossed it at him.

"Oh!" Natsu called as he caught and examined it. "Clothes! Right. Never wore these before…heh."

He was about to try and awkwardly put the jacket on when Lucy interrupted him with an unnerved screech.

"It's for your hips! Loins, thighs, whatever! For the love of god, just cover up!"

"That's not how you wear a jacket though…" he muttered under his breath and graced her with a hostile stare.

"How would you know!" Lucy shot back, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently. "Really, you're not at all how I thought you would be. So rude…"

"Hey, you gotta take what you get," Natsu said with a shrug and a grin.

Lucy puffed her cheeks and furrowed her brows. "Vee-e-ry well!" she slurred, "Then follow me to my bedroom.

Natsu's eyes grew wide as saucers even as a grin stretched his lips. "Holy shit, Lucy," he said, "So assertive… can't say I don't like it."

"Oh shut up," was all Lucy conjured up as a witty reply, and so he followed her, quietly chuckling, as she left the workshop behind.

They journeyed through numerous silent halls and corridors.

At first they walked across tiled floors, but as they ascended a broad flight of stairs the tiles were replaced by soft, dark carpet that swallowed their steps and bathed them in an almost eerie silence.

Natsu observed the heavy curtains and old portraits that lined the walls with a bored sort of interest, as if he'd rather be elsewhere but could as well indulge himself while he was here.

They came to a halt in front of a two-winged, wooden door.

"Lucy, are you a queen or something?"

Lucy provided no answer. Instead, she turned around. "Really though, how do you know my name?"

He shrugged. "I just do."

Lucy's room was, for lack of an even bigger word, humongous.

The woman herself watched in amusement as her new friend explored every corner of the three joint rooms before finally jumping onto the large bed that occupied the most part of the smallest room, the one with the most windows. It faced a big garden, full of a variety of colourful flowers. It appeared to be well-kept, and yet had an odd half-abandoned appearance.

The hedges seemed a little too wild, the grass a little too high, but still there was order. Pretty stone footpaths, visibly used, wound through the growth and brought order into a controlled chaos. And amidst all stood, frozen, figures and animals and statues of all kinds. Some were overgrown or concealed by long shadows, but they all unmistakably were made of the same material and by the same hands.

Natsu stared for a long moment, deep in thought, before focusing his attention back towards Lucy.

"Did you make all of those?" he asked.

Feeling a mixture between pride and sudden shyness, Lucy merely nodded.

"Are they supposed to move?"

Lucy's head snapped up, eyes frantically searching the garden. It couldn't be… that _all_ her work had come to life?!

But everything appeared as silent and static as it had always been, and Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't think she could have handled as much in a single night.

"Your eyes must have played a trick on you," she told him while trying to seem calm and collected, "Probably just a play of the moonlight."

But Natsu shook his head.

"No, no. That one there, the fountain in the moonlight… that one moved. I'm sure."

Together, they pressed their noses against the window. And Lucy gasped.

It was true. The statue of the mermaid sat as it always did, but anyone who cared to take a closer look would see the twitch in the fin, the rise and fall of the chest, the miniscule movements of any living, breathing thing. Slowly, she turned her head to face them.

Then she lifted a finger - of stone, Lucy noticed, as was the rest of her: moving, living stone, but stone nonetheless - and beckoned them closer.

* * *

 **Thanks for all the lovely reviews! :3**

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	3. Chapter 3

**With this part posted, you now have read what I originally intended to be the prologue. :'D Hahaha. The next chapter will be a long one; I'm still working on it but will hopefully have it finished on time!**

* * *

 _sun iii._

The cool night air had a sobering effect on Lucy, who was not sure whether to approve of this fact or not. The less intoxicated she was, the less she could deny the reality of the situation she found herself in.

Beside her, Natsu seemed like a ridiculed emperor, the bedsheet she had forced upon him wrapped around his shoulders like a cape. It fluttered slightly as he walked, and Lucy thought that anyone who might have entered the garden and caught a glimpse of them would feel as if they'd interrupted a ghost precession, and flee immediately.

She herself was not opposed to the idea of flight.

After all, she was walking through a feral garden in the dark of night, her companion a living statue of her own making, her destination the old fountain with the large, imposing mermaid of stone that had always so terrified and fascinated her as a child.

This was the stuff nightmares were made of.

Natsu cast her a glance, noticing her distress. He halted. "You okay?"

"I… guess so." Considering the circumstances, she really was surprisingly okay. Maybe the shock was just too potent for her to properly process, or maybe she was a lot more gutsy than she'd previously thought.

"I'm sure this'll be fun," Natsu said, and for the first of many times Lucy questioned not only his definition of fun but his general sanity. "I bet mermaids are cool!"

"That would be nice," Lucy agreed with a smile. Natsu's innocent enthusiasm proved contagious, and suddenly she found herself excited.

She would finally meet Aquarius.

The mermaid had overlooked the garden with her stern gaze for as long as she could remember; she was the only sculpture in the garden that had not been made by her own hands. In fact, no one knew who had made her, or how she had come to be.

Her mother had told her many stories about the mysterious woman: that she had perhaps always stood here on this very spot as cities rose and crumbled around her, that she might be an ancient goddess, or a sorceress entrapped in stone. And that, when Lucy's mother had still been a child, they had played together many times.

Lucy had always hoped Aquarius might come alive for her too, especially after her mother's death when life had become so much more dreadful and lonely, but the statue had shown her no such mercy. She had remained upon her socket, eternally spilling water out of her urn, forever guarding the garden and always, without fail, scowling down at her.

And yet, Lucy had found company and consolation in the mermaid.

But she had soon learned not to rely on dreams. And so she had made friends for herself, populating the entire garden as the years came and went by. True company they had brought her very little, but dubious fame all the more.

Now, years after she had long abandoned any hopes of ever meeting the goddess she had so often idolized and dreamed of, even prayed to in moments of utter despair and heartbreak and loneliness, begging for nothing more than for a _friend_ , it seemed her prayers might have been answered.

Gravel scrunched beneath her boots as she turned onto the narrow path that led straight to the fountain.

Lucy wasn't quite sure if she was ready to face her.

But it seemed she had no choice.

Her stomach clenched in apprehension as the first spray droplets hit her face. Slowly, she looked up.

"Cool!" Natsu hollered beside her, but not even his otherworldly unfazedness could distract her.

Aquarius' stared daggers at her, and she involuntarily took a step backwards.

The mermaid leaned forward, causing a surge of water to spill all over poor Lucy and Natsu. She scrutinized Lucy's entire appearance with a deprecatory click of her tongue. "You haven't changed a bit."

"E-excuse me?" Lucy squeaked.

"So much less pleasant than your mother…" Aquarius shook her head.

"You knew my mother? So… it's true? The stories, they were all true?" Tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks, and Lucy took a shaky breath. "Aquarius… it's so nice to meet you!"

"Save the tears, girl,"Aquarius huffed, nodding her head towards Natsu. "You'll need them for him."

"What do you– You did this?"

"Of course," she laughed, but there was a bitter undertone to it. "Do you see any other skilled, beautiful goddesses around?"

Faced with Lucy's stunned silence, she went on.

"I've given you your perfect man, yes, but don't think this is a gift."

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, what?" Natsu chimed in. "I'm pretty sure I'm a gift." He flashed both of them a wide grin. It went ignored.

"I intend to teach you a lesson," Aquarius stated, her eyes clouding. "That there is no such thing as the perfect man, or everlasting love. However, I'm challenging you to prove me wrong. This man here – Natsu, you named him, did you not – is the man you chose and made for yourself. I have given him life; he possesses all knowledge a person of this age would possess; a bright mind and the full range of human emotion… there is only one thing lacking, and it will be what this wager is all about."

"What is that?" Natsu and Lucy asked in unison.

"Love."

"Love? But…"

"It is not something that can be created, not even by a God. You, Lucy, will teach him the true meaning of love. If you cannot do so within the span of three moons, he will return to stone on the third night of the new moon."

A shocked silence settled.

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest.

"But what if I don't want him to stay alive?" she asked, "How would you know I want to do this? I don't even know him. He might not at all be what I wished for."

A sharp intake of air to her right made Lucy turn her head towards Natsu, and she was startled by the utter, genuine hurt in his eyes. She opened her mouth to protest, to tell him she had not _meant_ the words, had only intended to challenge Aquarius, but the mermaid cut her short.

"Oh Lucy," she said almost derisively. "Who do you think you're talking to? I have known you for a long time. Do not intend to fool me – or yourself."

Lucy meant to protest, but no words would come to her aid.

"You are a weak and lonely girl," she continued, and Lucy bit her lip. Aquarius averted her gaze, directing it upwards to the stars, and her voice turned just a bit softer. "Your heart is gentle and full of compassion. You will always want to help people."

"Aquarius…" Lucy murmured, a soft smile finally returning to her face. "You really looked over me all this time, didn't you?"

"Don't get me wrong; it's just one more weakness that is holding you back, stupid girl."

"I don't think it's a bad thing," Natsu objected, and earned himself surprised looks from both women. "Helping people, I mean."

Lucy smiled.

"Unless you can teach him what it means to love, he will be taken from you, do you understand that?" Aquarius asked once more, and this time, Lucy nodded determinedly.

"I'll prove you wrong," she said, "I definitely will."

"In one way or another, he is going to break your heart." Aquarius took a deep breath, straightening her back and moving her urn into its original position. "Now leave me alone."

"Wait!"

But the statue had returned to stone.

"Well, that was intense," Natsu concluded after a moment of silence. "Who spit in her breakfast?"

"Probably the man who broke her heart," Lucy mumbled, but offered no further explanation of her words when Natsu gave her a look of confusion. She knew heartbreak when she saw it, but Natsu most certainly did not. "We should probably… go to bed?"

Lucy did not question that she suddenly wanted to sleep in the same bed as this strange man. Natsu, too, agreed as if it were the most natural thing in the world. (It was only the next day, when she woke to find a stranger snoring in her face, that Lucy returned to reason, and cursed both Aquarius and Natsu.)

But for now, as they silently walked back to the house side by side as if in a trance, the world seemed perfectly at peace.

Now there was only one thing to do. And one question to be asked, repeating itself endlessly in Lucy's head:

How did one teach love?

* * *

 **Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews! You guys rock! Sustain me. :3**

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	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is super long compared to the others, which will hopefully make up the fact that _there won't be an update next Sunday_ because I'm going to Greece for a week! :3 Yay me! I hope you can be patient and wait for my return, hehe. Until then, enjoy this!**

* * *

 _Chapter 4_

* * *

 _moon i._

Books, Lucy decided.

Where was love to be found if not in books?

True, pure, unconditional, _perfect_ love. Love that conquered kingdoms and endured eons.

There was no way Natsu would not be touched by these tales. Her plan was perfect.

Such had been her thoughts as she had lain in bed that first night, with the naked man himself snoring contently beside her. And then she had fallen asleep.

The world looked so very different when she awoke.

For one, she was neither drunk nor under a goddess' compulsive influence. And, perhaps most important of all, she was convinced - as all rational people would have been - that it had all been an insane dream.

Now imagine her surprise when she woke, turned and found a naked man lying in bed beside her.

Her very first thought contained one too many swear words to be depicted here.

Had she not sworn off men for at least an eternity? Had she not known that too much alcohol turned her into a love-deprived, mushy, needy mess? Good god, he'd probably tell her she'd made him carry her home. What had she done?! She'd never had a one-night-stand before!

How would she get him out of here without much ado? Did she act all casual and point him to the door? Did she make him coffee?

One-night-stand etiquette was as foreign to her as a conference of Tibetan monks in the Himalayas - she knew it probably existed, but she had no idea how to behave or what to do.

All her panicked thoughts suddenly were cut short when she lifted her head and took a closer look at her presumed fling.

Lucy wasn't quite sure what was the worse prospect: that she'd had a drunk one-night-stand or that her dream had been no dream at all.

But there was no doubt about it. This was the very same man that she had chiseled into stone. The one that had come alive yesterday. His striking pink hair was matted down onto his forehead, his features familiar but his expression different, peaceful, as he snored softly with every one of his breaths.

Lucy continued to stare at him, rather dumbfounded. The monk conference was still in full swing inside her head, and she was not a bit wiser. If all this had, against all reason, actually happened… what was she supposed to do?

Carefully, she reached out a hand and poked his nose. It was real.

And of course, Natsu stirred.

Lucy pulled her hand back as if burned. She stayed entirely still while he blinked and yawned and blinked some more.

"Mornin' Lucy," he said with a lopsided grin, and Lucy barely resisted the urge to kick him out of bed in her shock. For a second, they stared at each other in silence.

"Get out of my bed!" Lucy hissed.

"But-!"

"Out!"

* * *

""But that's stupid!"

"You haven't even read it yet! "

"Well, how could I!" Natsu lamented, waving the book in front of her face as if that alone served as an explanation. "The letters are so small, and it's boring, and you just told me there won't be a happy end!"

He stared at her as if she were insane, and then pointed a finger at the literal tower of books she had stacked up for him, complete with a neat reading list with little checkboxes.

"I thought this was earth, not hell!"

"But reading is _fun_!"

"Said no one ever."

"Natsu!"

"Oh come on Lucy, please? There has to be other ways to teach me about this love thing."

"Maybe - but until I devise a new plan you'll continue reading!" Lucy placed her hands on her hips with a finality that allowed no protest.

"Why do you hate me?" Natsu whined, but Lucy merely rolled her eyes.

It was only a bit later, when Natsu had grumpily sprawled out on the couch with the book that had been forced upon him, and Lucy knew nothing better than to prepare some coffee for the two of them, that the doorbell rang. And Lucy almost dropped her cup.

"Oh god," she whispered, her face losing all colour, and sprinted into the living room. "You! Hide!"

"What? No way." Natsu lifted his head and gladly rested the cursed book on his belly, but otherwise showed no signs of moving. "What was that sound?"

"The doorbell!" Lucy screeched in a complete panic. "I forgot! How could I forget! Wendy!"

"What is a Wendy?" Natsu - unimpressed - was the calm to her storm, and Lucy took a deep breath in a (vain) attempt to calm herself.

"Wendy is a girl I'm looking after from time to time," she explained in a haste, "Our mothers were close friends, and ever since Grandine died she has no one but her cousin Gajeel and me, so he drops her off every so often. And today's Wendy day! I promised him! Oh, what am I going to do?"

"I see no problem," Natsu replied with raised brows. "Let her in. We can play together; it'll be fun!"

For a second, Lucy looked entirely terrified, but then her shoulders slumped and she rubbed the bridge of her nose as if to ease a headache. "I guess there's no other way…"

The doorbell sounded again, a lot more impatiently this time.

"But you stay here!" She pointed her finger at him as if she was trying to puncture him.

"Okay okay," Natsu conceded, lifting his hands and crossing them behind his head.

Satisfied with that, Lucy scurried out of the room and down the stairs to God knows where the entrance door was located in this castle of a home.

Natsu lay entirely still as he watched her disappear. When she was out of sight, he cackled, rolled his eyes - and sat up. A devious grin spread across his face.

Poor, unsuspecting Lucy knew nothing of the statue turned man turned ninja who was sneaking along behind her at a safe distance.

"Wendy!" she called happily as soon as the grand entrance door opened and a young girl threw her arms around her middle.

"Lucy!" she squealed. She was tiny, which made her long pigtails appear even larger as they cascaded down her back.

Natsu watched the situation closely.

There was a man behind the two girls who made Natsu bristle just from looking at him, with his deep scowl and crossed arms. What was _his_ deal?

The rude man's eyes softened when they moved away from Lucy and down to the girl. "Have fun, tiny," he said briskly as he petted her head. He was about to turn and leave without another word to Lucy, but Natsu wouldn't let him get away quite as easily.

He had a bone to pick with that ass.

"Hey! How's it going down there?" he hollered as he stepped from the shadows and moved to the top of the stairs. All three immediately gave them their undivided attention, and he sauntered down the steps with a grin. Lucy looked like she'd just seen a ghost, while the other two opted for general confusion.

"Lucy," Wendy whispered as she tugged at the woman's shirt, "Is that your _boyfriend_?"

Lucy's laugh was a little too loud and panicked.

"Sure am!" Natsu agreed before she could object, watching her face freeze in a desperate smile. He reached his hand out toward Wendy. "I'm Natsu!" he said with a wide grin which the girl returned, albeit a tad shyly.

Then he directed his best death glare at the man in black.

"So what's your problem?" he snapped, and the guy growled right back. "Are you this gazelle guy?"

"It's Redfox for you, assh-" He bit his lip when Wendy gave him an accusing stare. His face fell even more when she took Natsu's hand and smiled up at him as if to apologize on his behalf.

"This is my cousin Gajeel," she said, "He's not always this rude."

Natsu snorted. "Hard to believe, what with his face and all."

"Natsu!" Lucy hissed, but Gajeel just flashed the man a dark grin that made a shiver crawl up her spine. Oh, this was not good.

She'd often tried to invite Gajeel in or strike up a conversation, but her many attempts had always been cut short and failed, so after a while she had given up and accepted their silent meetings.

She couldn't quite blame him either. After all, it was her he blamed for what had happened, and maybe she deserved it…

But Natsu knew nothing about their relationship, and had apparently decided to pick a fight with Gajeel just for the hell of it. Or for a reason she couldn't discern.

"Please, Gajeel," she interrupted before anything worse could happen (in her mind she could already see them on the ground, fists flying as Wendy stared in horror). "Won't you come in?"

Gajeel looked taken aback, and Lucy was sure he would decline her invitation when he suddenly gave a curt nod. "Gotta see if Wendy will be alright with this punk around," he growled as he pushed past Natsu, giving him _the eye_.

Natsu didn't bat an eyelash, arms crossed over his chest. He held Gajeel's stare until he'd passed by, and then flashed Lucy a grin so bright she barely could believe her eyes.

Really, who _was_ this man?

* * *

To say the atmosphere was tense would have been an understatement.

"Can I offer you anything? Coffee, tea?" Lucy asked after the silence had stretched from uncomfortable to downright unbearable, and Gajeel shrugged.

"Sure."

Lucy didn't dare ask which he had agreed to, instead getting up and brushing some invisible dust off her skirt.

"Wendy, why don't you go with Lucy?" Natsu proposed, flashing her a grin.

Lucy was terrified at the prospect of leaving the two men alone in the room, but surprisingly enough, when Natsu gave her a quick nod, she felt oddly reassured that they wouldn't jump each other's throats right away. Did he have… some kind of plan?

Still, she wanted to hurry. Smiling at Wendy, the two girls made their way to the kitchen.

The living room was once again bathed in silence.

… until Gajeel snapped. "What the hell do ya want from me?" he groaned, but Natsu just flashed him a strangely reconciliatory grin.

"You look like a fun guy," he told him unpromptedly, and suddenly became more serious. "I don't know what your deal is with Lucy, but in your interest I'd advise you to lay off. She's very nice, and she's my friend, so I decided... to look after her."

Gajeel raised his brows at the weird speech. "Didn't you say you're her boyfriend?"

"Ah.. yes. That too. Friend _and_ boyfriend." He looked awfully happy with that. (In truth, he didn't think there was much of a difference, but if it made the grumpy guy happy…)

"How long have you been going out?" Gajeel asked, looking angry at himself, probably for becoming talkative. Natsu wondered why he was so curious. Was this part of his background check?

"Er… a while?"

"Lucy's never had any boyfriends over when Wendy visited."

"Ah."

" _I liked that._ "

"I see." Suddenly Natsu laughed, laying his head back on the couch. "Well you better get used to me! I'm sticking around! You see, I'm learning what love is."

Gajeel looked taken aback by the statement, his eyes widening for a split second. "So you're serious…" he grumbled after a moment. "Guess there's that. Listen, I ain't gonna tell you about me n' Lucy, so don't expect me to suddenly be nice to the bunny girl. But…" He hesitated. "Hurt her and your business is with me."

Gajeel's dark brown eyes pierced his, and Natsu raised his brows, unimpressed but thoroughly confused.

Some conflicting feelings there, huh?

So maybe the guy didn't simply _hate_ Lucy after all… it had to be more complicated than that.

"Bunny girl?" he asked instead, and then laughed. "I like that. She's easy to tease isn't she?"

But in that moment the woman in question reentered the room with Wendy tailing after her, and Gajeel wisely refrained from answering _that_ question.

* * *

Gajeel loitered around a little longer, actually striking up something like a conversation with some determination on Lucy's part, before he vanished with a few grumbled words of goodbye.

But judging from Lucy's smile, it was progress.

Natsu grinned as he watched her animatedly discuss one of her many books with Wendy. The girls had seized the carefully selected Love Mountain,much to Natsu's relief. As much as he had taken an immediate liking to both girls, as much he had become wary of the object of their adoration. He really didn't get what was so great about staring at letters, when you could be moving and _doing things_!

But after Lucy had let Wendy in on her love plan (casually leaving out some rather relevant bits and pieces, like Natsu's _real_ identity, or anything supernatural, really), Wendy had agreed to help Natsu understand romance by giving him compactly summarized rundowns of their favourite stories.

Natsu had to admit, he was a tiny bit intrigued as to how their plan would play out.

In the meantime… he was creating an (ingenious) plan of his own. A prank.

From the first second he had known what a prank was, he had wanted to play one on Lucy. Well - the more, the merrier. He had a feeling those two would be easy victims.

"Hey Lucy, Wendy will be staying the night, right?" he asked as innocently as he managed, and the girls stopped whispering to look up from their book.

"Oh, yeah," Lucy said with a small smile. "We have the whole evening to… give you lessons."

She bit her lip to hide a mischievous grin, and Natsu promptly complied by whining lowly in his throat.

"There's no getting around it, Natsu," Lucy chided. "Remember, this is in your own interest."

She gave him a pointed stare over the rim of her book, but Natsu just pouted. "I wanna spend the evening doing something _fun_."

"We could build a pillow fort!" Wendy said with gleaming eyes, and Natsu lit up.

"Yes! Pillow forts make even love books bearable! And then we can all sleep in it!"

"No way," Lucy protested, missing the way both their faces fell, "That would be uncomfortable! Wendy will be sleeping with me, so-"

"What?" Natsu yelped in disbelief, "But then what about m-"

"The couch," Lucy hissed quickly, "You'll sleep on the couch. Where you _always sleep_."

But there was already a blush coating Wendy's cheeks. "You don't have to pretend for my sake, Lucy" she murmured under her breath, "I'm not _that_ young anymore."

Lucy looked awfully embarrassed, but Natsu just pointed a victorious finger at her. "See!"

In the end, of course, Natsu's wishes went ignored.

It was late when they went to bed, their eyes red from fatigue and their throats sore from talking.

Natsu dragged himself over to the couch and slumped down into the pillows with a loud sigh. (He had of course tried to casually trail after Lucy and Wendy into the bedroom, but had been chased off.)

To his surprise, however, the door opened again, and he lifted his head to spy Lucy tip-toeing towards him. Did she think he was already asleep? Did she, perhaps, have the same plan as him? His great scheme had been to sneak into the girls' room at night to paint their faces, but it seemed Lucy had been one step ahead of him.

Well, she had another thing coming!

There was only room for one prank master in this house, no matter how vast it was!

He lay perfectly still, biding his time. But instead of the sneak attack, when she got closer and he felt and heard her presence beside her, something unexpected happened.

Something warm and soft settled onto him, and Natsu's eyes snapped open. His cover was blown by his inadvertent reaction, but he didn't mind much as he blinked down at the fuzzy blanket covering him.

"Thanks, Lucy!" He beamed at her, and she startled at the volume of his voice.

"Geez! If you're awake, tell me!" Lucy gasped, a hand on her heart.

"You're acting as if I came alive all over again," Natsu teased with a grin, and watched her release a deep breath.

She slumped down onto the couch, right at the end where Natsu moved his feet to the side to accommodate her. She looked deep in thought.

"It's only been a day, but somehow it feels longer. So much happened…" she said after a moment. "But at the same time, I can't quite believe real. But you are, right?" She cast him a smile.

Natsu grinned, liking that she looked reassured. "Real as can be. Don't worry, Lucy. I'm sure you can teach me about love. We can do it!"

"Sometimes I'm not sure if I know it myself," she murmured, but then shook her head.

Natsu scrunched his brows, but decided to not dig further. Instead he nudged her thigh with his calf. "Today was fun."

"Yeah. Yeah, it was." She smiled. "Wendy is wonderful, isn't she? She's so strong…"

"She's a lot like you," Natsu agreed, and Lucy blinked in surprise. "Except you're louder and weirder."

"Hey!"

"But you guys sure do love books. I gotta admit, the stories are fun - if you don't have to read them yourself."

Lucy rolled her eyes, dragging her legs up onto the couch. "But it didn't help much, did it?"

Natsu chewed on his lip. "It's not that I don't _know_ what love is.I mean, I know what a relationship is, I've listened to the stories you told me - I just don't really _get_ it. It's weird."

"You mean, you understand it with your head but not your heart?"

Lucy gave him an odd look, the smile on her lips weirdly… understanding.

"Yeah, like that," he agreed, a boyish smile spreading across his face. "You really are good with words, Lucy!"

And for some reason, this made her blush.

"Thanks," she whispered. And then, after a pause. "I'd love to write a book."

"Then why don't you?"

"I'm working on it!" She pouted. "It's not that easy. At all."

"Well - I believe _that_.I also believe you can do it tho'."

Lucy cracked a smile and arched a brow. "And why's that?"

"Well, you're pretty great, Lucy. I bet you're an amazing writer!"

She didn't say anything at all this time, but her smile was both happy and sad.

"Oi, Lucy," Natsu suddenly said, snapping her out of her private thoughts. "That Gajeel guy - what's with him?"

"Oh. You mean… because of me, huh?" She averted her gaze, but looked pensive.

Natsu waited for her to go on, watching her shift on the couch.

"It's a bit of a sad story," she finally said,her eyes far away. "The truth is - he blames me for their deaths, I think. I don't think he means to, not really, but I understand that, if you have too much grief and anger inside you, it feels good to let it out. I've never said anything."

"Their… deaths? Whose deaths?" Natsu asked, staring at her face as if under a spell.

"Gajeel's father and Wendy's mother," Lucy said quietly. "Metalicana and Grandine. They were three siblings, all of them very close, but the third - Igneel - wasn't with them on that day. They wanted to visit my mother and me, but… they never arrived."

"Oh… You mean…"

"It was a silly car crash," Lucy said with a scowl. "It wasn't their fault. It wasn't _fair_."

"I might not know much about life, but I know it's not fair," Natsu agreed quietly, and Lucy smiled sadly, blinking away tears.

"I was just as child - we all were - but ever since that day Gajeel has held some kind of disdain for me. I don't blame him for it; he lost his father. He's gotten into a lot of trouble since then, but I know he is not a bad person. And Igneel… he disappeared. He just up and left and nobody heard from him to this day, so Gajeel was left all on his own, taking in his young cousin. My own mother, she was very ill and could not look after Wendy as much as she wanted to, but we often invited her over. But she passed away not long after…"

Lucy scrunched her brows at the unwelcome memories.

"Oh dear," she went on, shaking her head. "I'm oversharing now, am I not. You don't need to know about all the gruesome details… Either way, that's that story."

Natsu remained quiet.

"Lucy," he finally said, serious eyes locking with hers. "I really want to learn about love. Because then I can stay by your side, and you don't have to be lonely anymore."

Lucy merely stared at him, speechless. She moved her lips, but all that left her was a shaky breath as she leaned back against the couch.

"You know," she murmured after a moment, "I think I'd really like that."

Natsu smiled, but she didn't see.

Maybe this whole love thing wasn't for him. Maybe he just _couldn't_ get it, Natsu mused as he stared up at the ceiling. Maybe he was not human enough, couldn't learn about love the way Lucy wanted him to.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

There were many things he didn't get, or mind, or notice. But he had noticed the way her eyes lit up when she talked about books, and the way she smiled when she talked about love. It had made him smile, too.

And he would make sure to see more of it.

* * *

 **Oho, developments... but no progress on the love front .. or is there?**

 **As always, your reviews never cease to make me smile! Please continue to feed me. :3 A big thankyou to...**

TheOriginalSkittles Snavej DorkyMonster707CanadianOtaku13 BatheMeInSprinkles sarara1.8 FlameDragonHime quite-a-riot celestious BloodRedRubies Etrinity NaluhasNashi Ashnmarley Twishadowhunter HolyChihuahua HalfBlackWolfDemon asian-simbae PaperSwan UnsuccessfullyPublishedAuthor CPic MaudTheBookEater Fairytail-FMA-fan FairyDemonDust and various Guest appearances!


	5. Chapter 5

**Yes, it's been more than a week since I last updated this. Yes, I am both sorry (that it took so long) and proud (that I wrote it at all). Yes, it is an actual update! I can't believe it either!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 5_**

* * *

 _moon ii._

Old romance might have failed, but modern romance surely wouldn't.

At least that's what Lucy thought when she signed Natsu up for online dating.

"But Lucy," Natsu whined, "Do I _have_ to?"

"Absolutely," Lucy huffed, "The best way to learn about love is to _be_ in love, so that's what you have to do in order to be able to stay here; _I told you_. Got that?"

"I guess," Natsu grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

It had been a month since he had become part of the lonely Heartfilia household, and what he had contributed, mostly, was _life_. Life and the unexpected, but more frequent company of not only Wendy but also Gajeel, who seemed to slowly but surely grow more accustomed to being more than just the guy who left Wendy at the door and disappeared.

Change had come slowly, and it was still happening, but it had not gone unnoticed.

The fact that Natsu had decided that romance wasn't for him and he'd rather hang with Lucy and Wendy to play video games and listen to their stories wasn't exactly helping Lucy's love mission along. Especially not her new plan of making him _fall_ in love, instead of merely talking about it and continually failing to explain.

"You promised me!"

"Right, right." Natsu sighed theatrically. "I'll go and try to love her! But only for you."

Lucy rolled her eyes, giggling softly. Then she faltered and pursed her lips. Something about his words, and the carefree way in which he said them, touched her in odd places, but then… What was it about them that bothered her? She wasn't quite sure, but there was an unpleasant feeling in the very back of her stomach, rearing its head, and it sat there quite uncomfortably.

Shaking her head, she looked back at the screen. "Look, this girl is perfect! Good-looking, nice smile, has a proper job… likes reading! Natsu, you're taking this one."

"...sounds more like you wanna go yourself."

She glared at him with pursed lips, producing a dismissive smacking sound. "Trust me, you'll be going on this date, and if it's the last thing I do."

"You're cruel, Lucy."

"You're living under my roof. My rules."

And however more of his feeble protest he tried to plead to her, there was nothing he could do.

-cut-

Rarely had an evening ever been this long.

And it had only been an hour since she'd dropped Natsu off. She'd given him some of her own precious money before leaving him in front of her favourite restaurant, where he would meet the date that would hopefully turn out to be the love of his life.

But why could Lucy not find it in her to be happy about this great plan of hers? She sank deeper into the couch, hoping it would swallow her up. She just couldn't stop _thinking_ of the two.

"Lucy, is something wrong?" Wendy looked at her with large, worried eyes, and Lucy immediately felt guilty. This was Wendy's time, she shouldn't waste it away with thoughts about someone else.

"Oh no, I'm fine," she was quick to deny with a weak laugh.

"She's not fine," Gajeel grunted, and both girls turned their heads. "She's pining like a schoolgirl."

"I'm not!" Entirely scandalized, Lucy gaped at Gajeel. She was _not_! The bundle of fur currently sprawled out on her lap raised its head and yawned. Lucy pouted down at the little cat, who began purring.

"See," Wendy giggled, "Even Happy agrees."

Lucy puffed her cheeks. When even the cat teamed up against her, maybe she should be giving Gajeel's words more thought. But she refused stubbornly. What did _he_ know! Did she really have feelings for a guy who wouldn't know love if it slapped him in the face? No way! Huffing, Lucy rearranged her legs, and Happy jumped off her lap to tip-toe over to Charle's side. She promptly moved away. Lucy smiled.

If her home had become more lively with Natsu's appearance, then the cats were just the cherry on top of the cake. Fondly, Lucy recalled the day the four of them - Wendy, Natsu, her, and even a very grumpy Gajeel - had went to the local shelter to adopt a cat for Wendy's birthday. One. Singular. How exactly they wound up with three, she still wasn't sure.

She should have known that Natsu would be awfully excited inside an animal shelter, but when even Gajeel had wordlessly handed her a large, black cat with only one eye she'd actually considered if she'd ended up in an alternate reality.

The only cat who took up permanent residence was the odd one Natsu had named Happy, and while Lucy had declared the kitten was his responsibility alone, she found herself stealing him from Natsu more often than not. She'd always considered herself more of a dog person, but she had to admit she was entirely smitten with the little thing. But nobody loved Happy more than Natsu…The duo of doom, she'd dubbed them.

Lucy looked at her watch for the hundredth time, caught herself doing so, and grumpily sat on her hand to hide it from view. Really, what was wrong with her?! She was sure everything was going fine. Otherwise he would've called her on his emergency phone, she'd made sure of that.

Or what if… everything was fine? Absolutely fine? What if it was going _great_?

Lucy fidgeted nervously. "So this is a fun movie," she said a little too loudly, trying to keep her mind from wandering, ""Who do you think she will end up with?"

But her question never was answered.

"Yo, Lucy!"

"Natsu?!" Lucy almost fell off the couch. His entrance was s sudden, for a second she wondered if she'd fallen asleep. "You're back already?"

Gajeel shot her an incredulous look. As if she hadn't been checking the time frantically all evening. But Lucy didn't notice. Her attention was on Natsu.

"Was it not good?" she asked, wondering if she sounded too hopeful.

"Oh, yeah, it was nice! But I got bored."

"Natsu! Don't tell me you… ditched her?"

"Oh, nah! I invited her along."

"Wait, what?!"

All blood left Lucy's face as she forced her gaze away from Natsu and leaned sideways, her terrified eyes landing on a small woman who stood awkwardly in the doorframe. Lucy recognized her face from the dating website.

"Oh my god," she wailed, "I'm _so_ sorry! My friend, he's- well-"

"Oh no no, it's alright!" the other woman quickly rescued her, waving her hands as they both tried to overplay their embarrassment. "Natsu was actually really nice! It was uh...fun?"

"But we can't go back to that place because, apparently, I stole food." Natsu informed Lucy, looking rather annoyed.

"What?!" Lucy felt like evaporating. Why had she ever thought letting Natsu leave the house on his own was a good idea? "Natsu, that was my favourite restaurant! I can't believe you stole from them!"

"I didn't! I just tried some food that wasn't on my plate… didn't know that was such a bad thing."

Helplessly, Lucy fixed her eyes on the unfortunate date, who just shrugged and then - to Lucy's amazement - proceeded to giggle.

"It was kind of funny, you know…" she recalled, holding a hand to her mouth as her laughter became more frequent.

Poor thing, Lucy thought, probably wanting nothing more than to disappear into a hole in the ground. And she was so nice! Really, this Natsu… (But again, there was this part of her that felt oddly relieved to find him back, at home with her.)

Remembering her manners, Lucy scrambled off the couch and strode past Natsu, pointedly ignoring his offended expression, and held out a hand to the woman. "It might be too late for a proper introduction, but hi, I'm Lucy. You must be Levy."

The words left her lips and immediately Lucy could have slapped herself. Levy's brows rose, but in amusement rather than affront.

"Checked me out, have you?" she said with a little grin, and Lucy grasped the lifeline and laughed in relief. "It's okay; this whole blind date thing wasn't my idea anyways. I figured it'd be a disaster."

"No offense," she quickly added, but Natsu just grinned and put an arm around Lucy's shoulders.

"I knew you'd like her!" he said to Lucy, and then leaned forward towards Levy with a conspiratory air, "I told ya, she would've liked to go out with you more than me."

"Natsu!" Lucy yelped, her entire face turning red. Now everyone was laughing. "I'll go and make you some tea!" she called towards Levy, already halfway out of the room, and then waved at the empty place beside Gajeel. "Please, take a seat!"

Gajeel, who had been curiously eyeing the newcomer, quickly turned his face in another direction, acknowledging her presence beside him only with a curt nod. His cat, Lily, promptly nudged her leg. It did not escape Gajeel's attention.

Natsu made himself comfortable on the ground, where Lucy joined him after she'd brought in a big jug of camomile tea for the company. Levy fit in surprisingly well, and soon it felt like she was an old acquaintance rather than a spurned blind date. Lucy could have sworn Gajeel was taking a special interest in her, even if he was trying his damn best not to show it.

She grinned to herself, but Natsu was the only one who saw. He leaned in closer, and she became acutely aware of his presence beside her. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," Lucy replied quietly, and with a smile, "But maybe you can soon learn more about love from these two." She chuckled at her own little joke. Natsu turned to look behind him, but was stopped by an elbow to his side. "Don't!" Lucy warned.

"You're really weird, you know," he grumbled, but then suddenly grinned at her. "But it's more fun that way. The date was okay, but I just wanted to go back home and hang out with you, Lucy."

Lucy's heart jolted. Did he even realize the kinds of things he was saying? Did he even realize what his words were doing to _her_? Oh, this was not good.

She was beginning to realize just why she'd been so nervous all evening. Why her heart was suddenly doing weird things to her when he looked at her with so much fondness in his eyes. Oh, this was not good at all.

This should not be happening. This wasn't part of her plan!

Carefully, she snuck a glance at Natsu, who seemed absorbed by the movie. But he noticed her look and smiled at her before returning his attention to the screen. Lucy's chest ached.

It was so like her to fall for a supernatural man without a proper understanding of the most important of human emotions. To him, how could she be anything more than a friend?

She had created him. It was her duty to look after him and to do everything she could to make sure he could stay here in this world, whether he chose to stay with her or not.

Lucy hadn't expected to feel what she was feeling now.

It would make things so much more complicated.

Biting her lip, she carefully leaned her head against his shoulder. She had done this before, but today her heart skipped a beat, and a part of her disliked it. But then Natsu leaned against her, just slightly, and all her worries went to hell.

Natsu looked down at the top of Lucy's head with a smile. His right hand was busy cuddling Happy, and his right was trapped between himself and Lucy, but he wouldn't have moved an inch. He felt content and warm, and more at ease than anywhere else.

If there was one thing Natsu had realized in his time here, it was this: There was nowhere he'd rather be than by Lucy's side.

* * *

 **I would really, really appreciate some reviews you guys! It's been so long since I've written and I feel so rusty. :'D Please tell me what you think! I'll try to write the final part and the epilogue as soon as possible! The more motivation you give me, the more energy I have to write!**


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